Milton Marks Neuro-Oncology Family Camp
Role: Assistant Camp Director. Volunteering September 2015-Present
Milton Marks Neuro-Oncology Family Camp represents an unprecedented effort to address the needs of brain tumor patients and their families that reach beyond medical therapy. Spanning 3 days, MMFC creates a community where these families feel supported, cared for, and understood. The burden of care and isolation that often comes with this illness is temporarily lifted so that families can deepen their connections with their spouses and children, make new friends, and come to better understand what that are facing. Read about some of my personal experience with MMFC in this article, where I explore how camp taught me to find beauty in the temporary.
Grief Group Facilitation
Role: Grief Group Facilitator, Camp Erin Counselor, Volunteering April 2015-2019
I have volunteered as a children’s grief group facilitator at three different organizations and for three different age groups. Currently, I’m facilitating a monthly group for 13-17 year-olds at Standing Together, a project of Providence Hospice of Snohomish County. Previously, I led a biweekly group for 9-12 at The Healing Center in Seattle, and a biweekly group for 5-11 at Kara in Palo Alto. I served in various roles for Camp Erin grief camp in three different chapters: Camp Erin Palo Alto, Camp Erin Seattle, and most recently, Camp Erin Snohomish, where I have been a cabin counselor for teen girls for the last two years. In November 2018, I brought my experience and skills as a grief counselor and educator to Good Mourning: An Interactive Arts Festival on Grief, a project of casework productions. Good Mourning was a month-long experience that ran from November 7 – December 2, 2018 in Seattle. It included a visual arts gallery, evening performances, informative panels, and weekend workshops. My primary role in this project was coordinating educational content. I selected the speakers and moderated a panel called “How to be a Good Grief Ally,” I designed curriculum for grief workshops for ages 6-8, 9-12, teens, and adults, and selected the group facilitators. I spoke on a panel called “Everything You Wanted to Know about Death but Haven’t Asked.” I also brought my creative writing to the stage again, storytelling in shows called Necessary Sadness and Losing It: Grief Comedy. You can view the full calendar of events here.
Scattered Leaves 